Ghost Hunters Haunted

[AlienDan]

UNTILL THE PARANORMAL HAPPENS TO YOU MOST OF YOU ALL WILL NEVER BELIEVE BUT I TELL YOU THIS IT'S NOTHING TO PLAY WITH....TRUST ME.

How may I play with this stuff so that I can experience it?

[JesseCuster]

I would argue competition is healthy as it weeds out the hype and bling poseurs and, dare I say it, maybe even encourage the needed rigor for applying sound research methods. Now wouldn't that be a change of pace for maintaining credibility with viewers, use a research methodologist to help substantiate the results.

I don't agree. When it comes to TV shows, entertainment and sensationalism tend to win out over dry factual documentaries.

Given that reality TV and documentaries seem to be these days involved in a race to the bottom to sensationalize the mundane, I would be surprised if being factual and applying sound scientific research is going to be of much interest to producers looking for more viewers.

I imagine a real life proper investigation into a paranormal incident or location is a hell of a lot more boring than what gets on your typical TV ghost hunter show.

[JesseCuster]

KEEP THINKING THE SHOWS ARE FAKE I KNOW SOMEWHERE RIGHT NOW NONE OF YOU WOULD EVEN LAST THREE MINUTES IN THIS LOCATION.I WATCH THE SHOWS AND NOT SCARED TO SAY IT IF YOU DON'T BELIEVE STAY OFF THE POST AND KEEP YOUR JIBBERISH TO YOURSELF BECAUSE APPARENTLY YOU MUST BELIEVE MOST OF YOU ON HERE COMMENTING SO MUCH. UNTILL THE PARANORMAL HAPPENS TO YOU MOST OF YOU ALL WILL NEVER BELIEVE BUT I TELL YOU THIS IT'S NOTHING TO PLAY WITH....TRUST ME.

Personal experience of the paranormal no more validates those TV shows than personal experience of living in a house with people validates Big Brother as a realistic documentary about real people living in a house together.

Also, putting posts in ALL CAPS makes people look like a crazy person shouting on the Internet.

Edited October 14, 2013 by JesseCuster

[sinewave]

KEEP THINKING THE SHOWS ARE FAKE I KNOW SOMEWHERE RIGHT NOW NONE OF YOU WOULD EVEN LAST THREE MINUTES IN THIS LOCATION.I WATCH THE SHOWS AND NOT SCARED TO SAY IT IF YOU DON'T BELIEVE STAY OFF THE POST AND KEEP YOUR JIBBERISH TO YOURSELF BECAUSE APPARENTLY YOU MUST BELIEVE MOST OF YOU ON HERE COMMENTING SO MUCH. UNTILL THE PARANORMAL HAPPENS TO YOU MOST OF YOU ALL WILL NEVER BELIEVE BUT I TELL YOU THIS IT'S NOTHING TO PLAY WITH....TRUST ME.

I have been in a lot of supposedly haunted places. The only scary things I ever encountered were the types of people drawn to such places in the middle of the night. For the record, most of us who call those shows fake are specifically targeting their arbitrary conventions and their total lack of scientific method. Most ghost busters spew rivers of BS when it comes to physics and the tools of their trade. Being a public forum, it should be OK for us to point out where ghost busters are full of crap.

Just because you got scared in some dark and spooky place does not mean you experienced something paranormal.

[boogedyspook]

I really liked Most Haunted and Ghost Hunters when they first started. They seemed to sincerely want to gather evidence and, for me, it was good entertainment with a few scares.

Unfortunately, both shows became way too over the top for me. Sound effects and spooky music were fine during interludes but during the actual investigation, annoying and distracting. Investigators freaking out and screaming because they just saw something incredibly terrifying but all the viewer got to see was the back of someone's t-shirt=crap. I've seen a few episodes of "Ghost adventures" and "Dead files" among others and I just don't enjoy them very much. Maybe because it's all been done before? More shows doesn't seem to equal better quality or a better approach at gathering evidence.

[BettyTheYeti]

These shows distract from the overwhelming evidence of hundreds of genuine hauntings and experiences.

[sinewave]

These shows distract from the overwhelming evidence of hundreds of genuine hauntings and experiences.

They tend to go to the places believed to be the most haunted. If there are genuine hauntings, don't you think they would have found one by now?

[BettyTheYeti]

They tend to go to the places believed to be the most haunted. If there are genuine hauntings, don't you think they would have found one by now?

No, they go to the places that look the spookiest, and so of course will get the ratings.

How many times has a bright, happy, sunny family home appeared on the show?

[gatekeeper32]

In the end there can be only one!

[Mosterd]

They tend to go to the places believed to be the most haunted. If there are genuine hauntings, don't you think they would have found one by now?

Well they should do better background checks.

This is where they lost me:

http://www.dailymoti...ailymotion_tech

Where they "investigate" a house bought by Johan Vlemixx.

Johan Vlemixx is know in The Netherlands for things like this:

www.youtube.com/embed/MeBShk1ZAVc

And this:

www.youtube.com/embed/XdhMWUiUkXM

Also Emile Ratelband is in the same episode, he's also a known Nutcase in the Netherlands...

He's mostly known for things like this:

www.youtube.com/embed/fvYxFULjrWo

Now tell me the things they found in his house are real, do you still believe them? I sure as hell don't.

Edited December 2, 2013 by Mosterd

[sinewave]

Well they should do better background checks.

This is where they lost me:

http://www.dailymoti...ailymotion_tech

Where they "investigate" a house bought by Johan Vlemixx.

Johan Vlemixx is know in The Netherlands for things like this:

www.youtube.com/embed/MeBShk1ZAVc

And this:

www.youtube.com/embed/XdhMWUiUkXM

Also Emile Ratelband is in the same episode, he's also a known Nutcase in the Netherlands...

He's mostly known for things like this:

www.youtube.com/embed/fvYxFULjrWo

Now tell me the things they found in his house are real, do you still believe them? I sure as hell don't.

Those shows are totally ridiculous. Of course, no one would watch if they did not find at least some evidence in every episode. The ghosts seem to know this and kindly deliver ghostly antics more or less on demand.

Some insist the TV ghost busters are distinct from real paranormal investigators but I have yet to see evidence of that. The methods and assumptions seem to be the same on both ends.

[Purplos]

My son loves these shows and I enjoy them too. They offer a great opportunity to talk about the scientific process, how things can be tested and why people would fake things. I don't personally know how much of any of them are real. I see them as entertainment just like any other TV program.

[Lava_Lady]

That Zach Bagans dude is annoying. I can't watch a minute of his idiocy without getting irritated, much less time if the sound is on.

And what is up with his ridiculous hair? Almost as bad as George Tsoukalous.

Edited December 2, 2013 by Lava_Lady

[sinewave]

My son loves these shows and I enjoy them too. They offer a great opportunity to talk about the scientific process, how things can be tested and why people would fake things. I don't personally know how much of any of them are real. I see them as entertainment just like any other TV program.

I hear what you are saying and a lot of what they do does look like science. However, they always lack the necessary controls and there are a lot of unexplained (unverified) assumptions on which the tests are built. Too many assumptions to put any faith in the results.

[sinewave]

That Zach Bagans dude is annoying. I can't watch a minute of his idiocy without getting irritated, much less time if the sound is on.

And what is up with his ridiculous hair? Almost as bad as George Tsoukalous.

Yeah, he's a piece of work. And yes, the hair is a wonder to behold. I especially like how he says "phenomenas" instead of phenomena.

[Keel M.]

If people want to truly investigate the paranormal and bring it into mainstream science, all these shows have to go. Period, end of story. No mainstream scientific discoveries are heard about til after everything is done and they've reached a conclusion and have something they feel worthy of sharing with the general public. They don't have television shows with rival groups of scientists who are trying to reach the same conclusion about something, using different approaches. The paranormal will always hover in the realm of pseudo-science because it's all on television and people don't take things serious.

Local ghost-hunting teams refuse to work together because they see each other as business rivals.

That's a problem because business = income which means these people are doing it for money. Not for pure scientific interest or even in the interest of helping someone figure out what's freaking them out. Take the money away along with the television appearances.

[sinewave]

If people want to truly investigate the paranormal and bring it into mainstream science, all these shows have to go. Period, end of story. No mainstream scientific discoveries are heard about til after everything is done and they've reached a conclusion and have something they feel worthy of sharing with the general public. They don't have television shows with rival groups of scientists who are trying to reach the same conclusion about something, using different approaches. The paranormal will always hover in the realm of pseudo-science because it's all on television and people don't take things serious.

That's a problem because business = income which means these people are doing it for money. Not for pure scientific interest or even in the interest of helping someone figure out what's freaking them out. Take the money away along with the television appearances.

Yes, and results (or the appearance thereof) are in their best interest. People who prey on human frailties are the lowest form of scum.

Edited December 2, 2013 by sinewave

[Purplos]

I hear what you are saying and a lot of what they do does look like science. However, they always lack the necessary controls and there are a lot of unexplained (unverified) assumptions on which the tests are built. .

Yes, I know. That's why it's a great opportunity to talk about the real scientific process. lol

[sinewave]

Yes, I know. That's why it's a great opportunity to talk about the real scientific process. lol

Nice!

[Sakari]

I've noticed that most of you think that these programs are fake. In my opinion, many are not. Unless you have had your own experiences with the paranormal, please don't subject your opinion onto others. I have lived in haunted houses and all of my grandkids, my daughter, and I have all had our own experiences with the paranormal. Myy grandsons can see spirits, so can my grand-daughter. My daughter has another ability that she refuses to use because it scares her. She can hear what another person, especially those close to death or dead are saying. So yes, spirits are all around us, You just can't see nor hear them. When my grandsons began this, they were 2. It's been an ongoing thing for years. One is now 9 and the other is 5. My grand-daugter is 15 and still has an uncanny habit of saying " did you see that?" or "who is that?" I can't see a darn thing but I have in the past. Thank God, that most of the spirits haven't been bad ones just ordinary people, like my daughter's ex-husband's father. You can set a bunch of pictures in front of the oldest grandson and he can pick out the person that he sees. Even though he never met his grandfather, he knows exactly who it is. So be picky and dislike the programs all you wish to but remember, someday it could happen to you too, when you least expect it.

I can understand why you all think they're fake. I would too if I hadn't experienced things myself.

I have had experiences.

And, ALL of these shows are fake!

Ghosts are not real, only in ones head, and imagination.

Also, you can give your opinion because you " had " experiences ", but if people that have not had " experiences " can not?

Biased?

[Q-C]

Yes, I know. That's why it's a great opportunity to talk about the real scientific process. lol

I agree. My daughter was always scared of a particular cryptid show I watch and would never watch it. After a few years, she finally said "Mom, I want to watch this show so I can get over my fear."

She asks excellent skeptical questions and I'm letting her figure out for herself what this show is really about. We get to talk about all kinds of science and animal behavior as well as entertainment value and marketing ploys and such. She now watches it with me and sleeps soundly at night after watching the show.